- Thread starter Tonopah01
- Start date
Rancho Loco
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2002
- Messages
- 5,546
- Reaction score
- 3
I have six or seven of the two liter soda bottles filled with water in my freezer.
Those go into my marine ice chest last thing out the door.
If I bag a hog, I'll dress it, and then put a few of those in the body cavity, wrap the hog with heavy plastic, and put in the chest with the other bottles on top.
After I drop the hog off, I put the bottles in the dish washer, then back in the freeze for the next hog.
Those go into my marine ice chest last thing out the door.
If I bag a hog, I'll dress it, and then put a few of those in the body cavity, wrap the hog with heavy plastic, and put in the chest with the other bottles on top.
After I drop the hog off, I put the bottles in the dish washer, then back in the freeze for the next hog.
I've always just deboned the animal in the field and brought the meat home in a pillowcase. Cut it up in my kitchen wrapped it in butcher paper and froze it.
If we get one within a few miles of the truck we'll carry it back and skin it at home. I've never had a problem with meat spoiling. When we shoot hogs backpacking we just salt the meat and it'll last a good 3 days at least without refrigeration , goat meat'll last 2 days without doing anything to it.
If we get one within a few miles of the truck we'll carry it back and skin it at home. I've never had a problem with meat spoiling. When we shoot hogs backpacking we just salt the meat and it'll last a good 3 days at least without refrigeration , goat meat'll last 2 days without doing anything to it.
Freedivr2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2002
- Messages
- 2,858
- Reaction score
- 3
Game care;
The three biggest things that spoil good meat are; Heat, Moisture and Dirt.
Gut your animal immediately, saw thru the breastbone, prop the body cavity open and let the air start to cool down the meat. If you can, then hang the carcass so the wind can start cooling it down. Remove the skin immediately after gutting, then make sure the carcass is hanging in a shady spot with a game bag over it while you rush to your car to get your ice chest and ice.
If you have to haul the carcass out of the area and to your truck, DO NOT drag it on the ground. I usually cut my critters in half and take 1/2 of them out at a time, strapped to my packframe and in a game bag. Sometimes boned out in the field, it just depends on what the weather is like, how far are you from the car, how much meat you have to carry, etc. Kinda changes for every critter a little, but the premise remains the same; Gut the animal, get that fur coat off of it, keep it clean and cool it down as quickly as you can.
This year for the first time I skinned my deer while it was on the ground. What a pain in the neck that was (I was on a steep slope and the deer kept sliding). Luckily, I was also on nice green grass, so the carcass didn't get dirty and I used the skin as a blanket underneath the buck to protect the meat if the carcass started sliding down the slope or if I had to let go of it to take a break/clean the knife, whatever.........Try to avoid that, carry a lightweight gambel and block and tackle with you (I didn't but will next year).
Lastly, I like Rancho's comments about the water bottles. I do the same, and put a few of those bottles in the body cavity of the critter to cool it from the inside out (as well as bottles on the outside of the carcass) while in route to the meat processor.......
The three biggest things that spoil good meat are; Heat, Moisture and Dirt.
Gut your animal immediately, saw thru the breastbone, prop the body cavity open and let the air start to cool down the meat. If you can, then hang the carcass so the wind can start cooling it down. Remove the skin immediately after gutting, then make sure the carcass is hanging in a shady spot with a game bag over it while you rush to your car to get your ice chest and ice.
If you have to haul the carcass out of the area and to your truck, DO NOT drag it on the ground. I usually cut my critters in half and take 1/2 of them out at a time, strapped to my packframe and in a game bag. Sometimes boned out in the field, it just depends on what the weather is like, how far are you from the car, how much meat you have to carry, etc. Kinda changes for every critter a little, but the premise remains the same; Gut the animal, get that fur coat off of it, keep it clean and cool it down as quickly as you can.
This year for the first time I skinned my deer while it was on the ground. What a pain in the neck that was (I was on a steep slope and the deer kept sliding). Luckily, I was also on nice green grass, so the carcass didn't get dirty and I used the skin as a blanket underneath the buck to protect the meat if the carcass started sliding down the slope or if I had to let go of it to take a break/clean the knife, whatever.........Try to avoid that, carry a lightweight gambel and block and tackle with you (I didn't but will next year).
Lastly, I like Rancho's comments about the water bottles. I do the same, and put a few of those bottles in the body cavity of the critter to cool it from the inside out (as well as bottles on the outside of the carcass) while in route to the meat processor.......
I do the water bottle trick too. FD2 summed it up nicely. Heat, moisture and dirt are what you want to avoid. I personally don't mind dragging the animal if it's not too far to the truck, otherwise it's cut in half, or quarter, in the field and pack out. If I'm going to drag it, I do not split the breast bone and I do not cut all the way down to the pelvis. This keeps more hide covering the animal and does a better job of keeping dirt off. I'll just cut up to the sternum and the reach up inside and remove the heart, lungs, and cut off the wind pipe. Then on the other end I just cut down to the crotch and then reach in and cut the intestine. I'll remove the pooper and pecker after I've dragged the animal back to the truck. Keeps everthing much cleaner after a drag through dirt and leaves.
If the animal is small enough to fit in a cooler whole, then do so. If not, hang by both hind legs and cut down the center of the animal, between the two hind legs, and split the backbone in half lengthwise. Then cut each half in half again by cutting behind the last rib and through the backbone. Now it should fit. If you have to you can go further and separate the legs from the joints.
The golden tule is to get it cool quickly, and keep it as clean and dry as possible.
If the animal is small enough to fit in a cooler whole, then do so. If not, hang by both hind legs and cut down the center of the animal, between the two hind legs, and split the backbone in half lengthwise. Then cut each half in half again by cutting behind the last rib and through the backbone. Now it should fit. If you have to you can go further and separate the legs from the joints.
The golden tule is to get it cool quickly, and keep it as clean and dry as possible.
Rancho Loco
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2002
- Messages
- 5,546
- Reaction score
- 3
To keep the dirt and leaves out, I'll use a handfull of zip-ties to lace the pig's belly back up when I have to drag them.
Next time I hope to use my dead-sled.
Next time I hope to use my dead-sled.
The places I hunt are pretty mountainous and thick with vegetation so I prefer to debone the meat keeping the 4 hams, backstrap, and tenderloins. I usually carry a packframe and canvas gamebag so lash the meat filled gamebag to frame, and haul it out with an ice filler cooler waiting at truck.
freedivr mentioned bringing a lightweight gambrel...two pieces of rope are even lighter and can be used for a million other uses. Just tie the ropes a few feet apart and make loops on the other ends for the animals feet.
